Bodies Found in the Angeles

I wonder how many other cities’ hiking areas have to deal with things like this.

Another body was found in the Angeles National Forest yesterday afternoon. The unidentified woman’s body was found off of East Fork Road near Prairie Fork Road. Los Angeles County Sheriffs haven’t released any other details yet, and are asking anyone with further information to contact them at (323) 890-5500.

This comes on the heels of last week’sdiscovery of a body by a hiker in Big Tujunga Canyon Road, which is under investigation by homicide detectives.

One of the most frequently asked questions I get via email is “is it really safe to go hiking?” People hear stories like this or sensational accounts of bear or mountain lion or rattlesnake encounters and they get spooked from ever heading out into our wilderness. I think that’s really a shame. Most of the time these found bodies end up being related to crimes that happen in the city, and your chances of being injured by an animal on the trail are very, very small. I always try to tell people you’re probably taking a much greater risk driving to the trailhead than you ever will on the trail itself, and I stand by that statement.

Since founding Modern Hiker in 2006, Casey's work on the site has appeared in regional and national publications, including the Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, CNN, New York Magazine, High Country News, and others. He has broken several national news stories about outdoor vandalism and policies and his first book "Day Hiking Los Angeles" is available for pre-order.

4 Comments

I entirely agree that this type of discovery should NOT be treated as a deterrent from going hiking or camping. The violent crime is rarely tied to an attack or ambush on the trail, but I highly encourage hikers to be safe by following the buddy system (as corny as the name is, it does work) and always be aware of your surroundings out on the trail (this goes for spotting wildlife moreso than seeing bad guys lurking behind tree foliage).

I give the same advice as you do with regards to trail safety. Even in my recent travels, the incident I suffered was right in the heart of the city, in one of the best parts of town. I feel safer on the trail than in town anyway.

Every time they find one of these, it almost always leads back to an incident in the city where someone wanted to dispose of the body or evidence out in “the wilderness”. The only thing I can recall off the top of my head was decades ago, the two women who were attacked while camping in Oregon. Not sure if you ever heard about that one…